Little Shop of Horrors is a very popular High School Musical selection. It is about a plant shop worker that finds a small alien plant, learns it needs blood for food, ends up feeding people to it as it grows enormously, and is then eaten by it himself, but with much more in between. If you are thinking of trying out:

Steps

1

Determine which character you will try out for and practice for that part.

2

Go to auditions with a positive attitude.

3

Be prepared to sing, dance and read lines from a script. Different directors require different things in auditions. Try to find out ahead of time what the director of your production will require.

4

Do character research on the different characters:

Seymour Krelborn: Has a high baritone singing voice. He's a bit of a klutz, and he's a nerd. He's also deeply in love with Audrey, his coworker. The actor portraying Seymour must learn to speak softly while still projecting. He should never fade into the curtain.

Audrey: Uses a very high and squeaky voice in some productions. Her singing parts are also higher. Audrey has a bit of a Brooklyn accent, like saying "Da" instead of "the". Ask the director what elements they would like to include in the role.

Mr. Mushnik: Uses foreign accent to sing with, Dutch or Russian would be best. The movie used a heavier actor but physical appearances will probably not be a factor in a school or local production. He's Seymour and Audrey's boss at the flower shop, and when he rants, it sounds like Yiddish.

Orin Scrivello (D.D.S.): An evil, sadistic dentist who dresses like a leftover from the movie Grease (and who also happens to be Audrey's boyfriend), he speaks with a relatively cool and low drawl. His singing role includes some spoken and yelled words, and the actor portraying him must learn to laugh like he's on drugs.

Audrey 2 (voice): Sings in a powerful, deep R&B bass-baritone voice but some parts require higher notes. (sung to Tenor Bb if "Mean Green Mother" is included.) A good vocal range IS required, plus (if the director wishes) a good understanding of 70's African-American idiom within R&B/Funk. (Vocal growl, pops & whistles. Watch the movie.) This part also includes an evil laugh. Work out a way to yell in a melodically low voice.

Audrey 2 (puppetry): In addition to the voice, a puppeteer needs to be on stage manipulating three of the four Audrey II puppets, being on stage for the majority of the show. While a trained puppeteer is generally preferred, if there is none, then generally a strong person will probably get the position.

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Tips

The voice of Audrey2 is very demanding vocally, particularly the loud, harsh, cackling laugh. You will need to be sure that you are able to sustain this before accepting this part. Be prepared to take VERY good care of your voice for the entire rehearsal and production period.

The stage production and film version have some big differences including characters and variations in the story line: In the musical, all the major characters are eaten by the plant, and the plant takes over the world. In the movie, the plant is destroyed, and Seymour and Audrey lived.

For best results try to get a video copy of the stage production.

The puppeteer needs to know the the role of the plant just as thoroughly as the person voicing Audrey2.

Get a copy of the musical score and sheet music to practice the singing parts.

Depending on the director's decision, they may give the priority of the puppeteer role to the strong person over a trained puppeteer. While they may or may not do this, it is still best for anyone (with puppetry experience or not) wanting to audition for the role to bulk up immediately before auditions.